$315.8M in San Pat property under appraisal protest

CORPUS CHRISTI - Residents of San Patricio County are protesting their property tax appraisals at a rate that has prevented the appraisal district from certifying its tax rolls.

The appraisal district has missed a state-mandated July 25 deadline as a result. Local governments and school districts, in turn, are unable to complete their budgets and set their tax rates.

Chief Appraiser Rufino Lozano said values countywide have risen about 10 percent this year to reflect market prices.

His office was caught off guard by the volume of protests — many of them filed shortly before the Aug. 3 deadline. His office could not say Wednesday how many taxpayers protested, but was able to provide the percentage of the county's estimated tax base that was tied up in protests — 12 percent, or $315.8 million. The percentage of property represented, rather than the actual number of people protesting, is the relevant measure that prevents the rolls from being certified. The rolls can't be certified until the value amount protested is no more than 5 percent of the appraisal district's estimated total.

"Surprisingly, at the very beginning, we were sitting at below 3 percent," Lozano said. Lozano believes the district can reach the 5 percent threshold by Aug. 23.

It is unclear if any other counties in Texas face this situation. The Office of the Comptroller does not track whether districts have met the deadline. But Harris County also cannot certify its rolls, for the same reason.

It isn't an insurmountable problem, said Tom Ginter, Aransas Pass city manager. He said the city might simply begin its fiscal year on Oct. 1 without a clear picture of how much money it will have at the end of the year.

San Patricio County Judge Terry Simpson agreed.

"Basically, we can't set a firm budget," Simpson said. "We can guess as to what our fiscal year budget will be. We cannot adopt a tax rate or a final budget until we get the final number."

Local governments also have deadlines to complete their budgeting, and sending property tax bills often gives them an infusion of cash, according to Doris Koch, executive director of the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts. Many people, she said, try to pay their tax bills before the year starts.